Cushion filling machine



l April 3 1956 K D. LocHNER 2,740,245

CUSHION FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 18, 195o 4 sheets-sheet 1 Jly. 2DAV/D LHVCEZI/R BY MM@ f/ AT RNEY April 3, 1956 D. LOCHNER 2,740,245

CUSHION FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 18. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 .INVENTOR.DAv|D LocHNL-:R

ATTO NEY April 3, 1956 D. LocHNER 2,740,245

CUSHION FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 18. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 U 5\y 65 722A@ zu* 552 e5 mkb/Wb 7% I ZI I ,77 i G@ G8 iff- LH ffy-9 INVENTOR.DAV; D LocHNa-:R

ATTO NEY April 3, 1956 D. LocHNER 2,740,245

CUSHION FILLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 18. 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.DAWD Loef-NEE ATT NEY United States Patent- O lCUSHION MACHINE lDavidLoclmer, vFort lWayue, "Indi, assigner rtlofiioc'hne'r `Mfg.Co.,Fort'Wayne, Ind., a copartner'ship offndiana Applicato'nDecemberIS,1950,SerialiN0.'-201,4'50

1s claims. (CLSB- 257) Thisfinvention is Ldirected to a machinefforintroducingl agller into vthe cover or-casing of v-a cushion.

Various types of .machines `for this Apurpose.now-"in commercial usehave vnot proven entirely 'stis'fct'ory for jeicient under all operatingconditions. .'Sornefof lthe `larger machines are-cumbersome and heavyandtakeup considerable valuable lloor spacewhichis notalways availablein upholsteryshops of medium or V average size. fMany of these largermachines are also complicated l,and include a multitude -of shafts,belts, pulleys,fan`d belt shifting devices, while others includenumerons'fger trains, cam arrangements and intricate clutch mechanisms.Thesemachines require frequent adjustments "and considerable expense isnecessary to maintain'them in good working order. '.Moreover, someof'these'macli'ines `are ldangerous to opcrateand ldiiicultt'o control.lso, ysome machines are so fragile, light in w`eight'andun stable in`construction that theyl fail'in 'operation vwhen subjected to hardcontinuous use.

vOne of the principal objects of ythe invention is to prof vide. a.machine which overcomes all of the disadvantages inherent in themachines above referred to.

An important object of the subject iriventioniis 'tofp'rcnl 2,740,245Patented Apr. 3, 1956 "ice fferre'd't for automatically'operativelyengaging and lock- 'infg theframassembly inplace as it is progressivelyprojected'frwiidlyby the clutch means when the treadle lis pated. Inother words, when the ram assembly isfmovdfforwrdly toa predeterminedposition in packing .tillen matrialinto a cushion cover the pawl willhold 'the ss'einblyV in such position until it is again directedforwardly, and lso on. e

l lfkn'other'important object of the invention is to pro-"vi'cle'anrangement whereby the pawl will beautomaticallyienderedinoperative after the cushion cover hasbeenfpropei'lyllledin order to permit the ram assemblytobe're`tiac`sted'"or moved back to a starting position.

l'still 'further object of the invention .is to provide a lmachine whichis ecient, :positive in action, and cornprisedrofconipnents which canbeeconomicallymanufactud'and readily assembled on a production basis t"o"s`|chanextent that it can be sold at a reasonable flir'ef i'1"Many'otlierfobjects and advantages of the invention wilfbecomeapparent after the description hereinafter set 4iti'th' is`considered inconnection with the drawings an- Yn'ex'e'd 'hereto Awhich exemplify oneembodiment of the invention. y

"In vthe ldrawings Vwherein like or corresponding parts 'reler'nentsrare, identified by the same numerals: y

l`Figure lis a top'view, of the cushioniilling machine embodyingthe'inventi'on, with portions of the machine brokenfawayto illustratecertain vdetails of construction; ,y l-Figure y2'is 'a'sidc view inelevation ofthe structure depicted in. Figure 1, with portions brokenaway to "Show otherdetails;` e

ul'ig'u/e''is an enlarged transverse section taken substan'tially online 3 3 of Figure 2 showing details of the cushion box and some of thelinkage assembly;

Figure 4 isatransverse section taken substantially on `fline .ofFigureZdepicting additional details of the linkagel assembly; n v

" FigurefS is a perspective view of a 'portion of a means 'forfoperatingthcfside units of the cushion box;

Figures 6 and 7 are enlarged top and side views of .portions of the-machine showing the arrangement of the fstandardsfandthe manner ofsupporting the rack bar of theram"assembly thereon, including therelationship of chine having a cushion box embodying a pair-cfside'sections which are relatively adjustable in a novel nr'n'aimcrwhereby the width of the box may be varied 'as desired.

An additional object of the invention is t'o provide va unique ramassembly and improved means'for supporting, v guiding and operating it,the arrangement being sfu'ch lthat an 'operator can use both hands toadjust and holdl a cushion 'cover in proper relationship to 'the boxIyi'lliile .the iller material is being fed and packed into "thecover bythe ram.

A further object ofthe inventionisto provide a novel e construction inwhich each 'support includes a'pair ofA standards with means interposedbetween thestanda'rds 4 for reinforcing and maintaining them inpredetermined parallel "relation, Anirnportant object of the invention.is to" provide a "unique p'awl carried.byfoneofihe'supportsaboveetheclutch/means 4and pawl with the rack bar;

`Fig'ures-8 ,'and 9 arepartial side views of the `machine illustrating4thefrearmost yposition and an intermediate foriv'artl j position oftherarnV assembly and the operative fflaripnship ofthe ypava;

Figures 10 and l1 are partial side views of the machine .illustratingthe foremost forward position land an inter- ...niediate rearwardposition of the ram assembly and the `operative relationship of thepawl;

Qofthe arrows 15-15 in Figure 14.

,machine exemplilied in the drawings includes, among other things,.a.substantial stand generally designated. 1, an elongated rectangular`open ended cushion or .stuffing box`2,\.means including a hand wheel 3whereby -the "width lof the box may be adjusted to accommodate .cn'shioncoyers ot various sizes, a ram or plunger assembly "4, clyultch or.actuating means 5 operatively connected v to the ram assembly, and atreadle 6 operatively con- 'nectd Itojthe clutch means 5 by a 4linkageassembly, all Ytiff)fivhichfwillr be described more in detailsubsequently.

V"lfhjestand l1"maybe'designed'and constructed as deamm-24a sired, butas herein illustrated, preferably includes a pair of front legs 7 and Sand a pair of rear legs 9 and 10 which are trussed together in a mannerto impart strength and stability to the structure. The upper ends of thefront legs 7 and 8 are joined by a transverse front rail 11 and theupper ends of the rear legs 9 and 10 by a similar rear rail 12. Theupper end of the front leg 7 is joined to the upper end of the rear leg9 by a longitudinal rail 13 and the upper ends of front leg 8 and rearleg by a similar rail 14. the front and rear legs are inclined and thatthe legs at one side of the machine are parallel to the legs at theother side. The legs and other components of the machine, wherestrength, rigidity and economyare required, are preferably made of angleiron. The lower' end of each leg is provided with a foot 15 having anaperture therein through which a screw may be extended into a floor forfirmly anchoring the machine in place.

A relatively narrow elongated platform or table comprised of a pair oflongitudinal angle iron members 16 and 17 is secured to the stand andextends rearwardly thereof preferably on a level below that of thecushion box 2. The members 16 and 17 are arranged in spaced apartparallel relationship and are attached to the underside of transverserails 11 and 12 by fastening means 18 as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Apair of corresponding standards 19 are respectively attached to theouter rear ends of the table members 16 and 17 and a pair ofcorresponding standards 20 are attached to the members 16 and 17 at apoint spaced forwardly of the rear standards 19. These standards supportand guide a rack bar 21 of the ram assembly 4. Each standard is providedwith a relatively large base ange. tend through these flanges andthrough the jrnembers 16 and 17 for firmly detachably connecting thestandards thereto. These supporting and guiding standards for the ramassembly and other components related thereto will be alluded to more indetail subsequently.

The novel cushion or stuffing box 2 and the unique manner of mounting iton the stand 1 will now be described. The box may be mounted invariousways but as herein depicted it is preferably supported so thatits forward free extremity projects a suilcient distance in advance ofthe stand 1 to enable an operator to conveniently operate the machineand otherwise have the full use of both hands to do whatever is requiredwith respect to properly filling a cushion cover.

More particularly, the movable side units or assemblies of the box abovereferred to are mounted on a pair of parallel round guide rods 23 formovement in planes transverse to the longitudinal axis of thecushion'box. The ends of the rods are anchored in blocks 24 carried bythe side rails 13 and 14 of the stand as shown by the dotted lines inFigure l. As shown in Figure 4, the box includes a tlat center bottomwall 25 which is supported in a fixed position on the transverse rails11 and 12 f the stand by a bolt 26. This bolt extends through the rail11, through a spacer 27 interposed between the rail and center wall 25,and also downwardly between the table members 16 and 17. A washer 28bears against. the members 16 and 17 and a nut 29 on the bolt irmlysecures the wall 25 in a predetermined horizontal 'position above thecross rail 11. The rear extremity of the center wall 25 is secured tothe rear cross rail 12 by a bolt 26a shown in Figure 3, with a spacercorresponding to spacer 27 interposed between the rail and wall.

As clearly depicted in Figure 3, each of the movable side units orsub-assemblies of the cushion kbox includes a side Wall 30 provided withan integral inturned horizontal planar wall 31 which complementsthe'center Wall 25 to provide a sectional bottom or platform for thell'er material. ably engage the underside of the center wallsubstantially throughout its entire length and thereby lend support vtoits forwardly extending extremity in advance of the `stand.

It will be noted that Bolts 22 ex- The inturned walls 31 are arranged toslid-N,

4 A pair of covers are respectively hinged to the side walls 30. Eachcover includes a relatively large rectangular flat portion 32 and anangular portion 33. The angular portions constitute continuations of theside walls 30. It will be noted that the tlat portion of one coveroverlaps the llat portion of the other cover when the box is closed asillustrated in Figures 1 and 3. More particularly in this regard, thecombined widths of the covers is greater than the full open width of thebox so that under normal operating conditions the covers will always bemaintained in an overlapping relationship when the box is closed. Thus,it will be evident that a side wall and its inturned wall and anattached cover constitute a separate unitor sub-assembly of the box.

As clearly shown in Figures l, 2, 3 and 5, a relatively heavy and strongbracket is secured to each side assembly of the cushion box. Eachbracket includes an upstanding portion 34 secured exteriorly to a sidewall 30 of the box by bolts 35 and an inturned elongated portion 36which is secured to the underside of each inturned planar wall 31 of thebox by a screw 37. Each bracket is further provided with two pairs ofintegral apertured bearings 38 which slidably receive the guide rods 23.A threaded shaft 39 is intelposed between the guide rods and its endsare journalled in the blocks 24 carried by the side rails 13 and 14 ofthe stand. The opposite "extremities of the shaft are provided with leftand right handed threaded portions 4i) and 41 as shown in Figures l and5. A nut 42 is carried by each of the threaded portions, and each nut isinterposed and trapped between a pair of generally U-shaped lugs 43carried by each bracket. The shaft 39 extends through the lugs 43. Thearrangementis such that rotation of the shaft 39 by the hand wheel 3 atthe right side of the machine will cause the side assemblies or units ofthe cushion box to move simultaneously toward or away from the fixed orstationary center bottom wall 25 so that the width of the box may bevaried as desired to accommodate cushion covers of different sizes.

An elongated member 44, clearly shown in Figure 3, is firmly secured tothe upper cover of the box by rivets 45 and its free end is adapted todirectly engage a pivotal latch 46 mounted on one of the brackets forholding the covers in place while a cushion cover is being packed withller material.

Referring again to the supports for the rack. bar 21, a spacer bearingblock 47 is preferably secured by welds between the upper ends of therear standards 19 and a spacer block 48 is secured by welds betweentheir lower end s and between the longitudinal table members 16 and 17by a bolt 49. The upper block 47 is provided with a lower horizontalmarginal edge 5d and the lower block 48 with an upper horizontalmarginal edge 51 spaced from edge 50. lt is through this space that therack bar 21 reciprocates. A spacer bearing block 52 is preferablysecured by welds between the upper ends of the front standards 20 and alower block 53 is similarly secured between the lower ends of thestandards and between the table members 16 and 17 by a bolt 54. Thebolts 49, 54 and 22 permit detachment of the standards from the tablemembers for replacement purposes. The opposed inner horizontal marginaledges of blocks 52 and 53 also define a space through which the rack barreciprocates.

A shaft 55 extends transversely through the front standards 20 androtatably supports a roller 56 mounted on a sleeve bearing. A shaft 57is carried by the rear standards 19 and supports a corresponding roller58 mounted on a sleeve bearing. The arrangement is preferably such thatthe distance between the marginal edge Sii of the upper spacer block 47and the periphery of roller 53 substantially corresponds to the distancebetween the lower marginal edge of block 52 and roller S6, suchdistances being slightly greater than the width of the rackbar 2l toprovide guideways for the bar. The distances between the table membersare primarily determined by the lower 17 in -parallel relation."serve'to support and accurately guideithebarand/a pres- :sure plate'carried therebyin'astraight"forward and `rearward direction.

blocks 48 and 53 and alsoby additional spacers, one of and intermediateportions of r'the table members 4"16 `and With this setup the f'standards The rack bar 21-ispreferably supported so that the lower edgeof the pressureplate does not engage the center bottom wall 25 of thecushion box.

v'This' arrangement and the -rollers constituting'antiifriction 'meansmaterially reduce friction "and ease the 'reciproca- "torymovement ofthe ram.

The locking mechanism'for the ram assemblyconstituting anovel feature ofthe'inventionwill/now`bedescribed. It'will be noted'that'theupperblock47carried by' the rear standards 19 is offset rearwardlyto someextent in order 'to provide a clearance space for a lockingmechanism,

directed to the fact that the lower-cover of the cushion box in'dssupport on the upper edge of the pressure plate.

rThe lower longitudinal edge of the rack bar is .continuous and smoothfor engagement withthe rollers 56 andSS but its upper edge is providedwith a plurality of abutments, preferably in the form of arcuate notches65, the centers `of which are spaced equal distances apart .throughoutsubstantially the full'length of the bar.l .The .notchesare adapted toindividually receive a-rounded nose yportion 66 of the pawl forsuccessively locking the ram assembly in position as it is progressively.advanced forwardly by .the treadle 6 through the agency of the clutchor actuating means 5. The upper edge of the bar is also provided with arelatively large arcuate clearance recess structed and supported thatitsvnose portionl 66 will normally bear or engage the rack bar at alltimes except when in the recesses 67 and 68. Thepawl is freelypivotaland of such a thickness that it is to some-extentY guided by.thestandards :19. Attention is directed rto the fact that the pawl 6l,recess 68 and bolt 64 are so positioned with respect to one .anotherthat `when the bolt engages the rearstandards i9 at the termination oftheforward stroke l.ofthe ram assembly, the nose portion 661offthe pawlwill `fall 'into the clearance recess 68 as shown in -Figure 10,

yand thereby render the pawl inoperativefso that the ram ,assembly canbe readily .manually retracted or pushed yback toa starting position.The pawlyre'cess'67 and-the s'top 63 on the pressure plate 6l) are alsosolarranged -that when the stop 63 engages the front standardsfZtl'todeter- :mine the termination of lthe rear stroke of the ram assembly,`the nose portion 66 will fall into the clearance recess 67, and therebyplace the pawl in position to. suclcessively engage any'of the notches65 desired-as the ram :assembly is directed forwardly step by step bythe clutch and treadle.

if found desirable, the pawl 61 clearlyillustrated in .Figure l2zmay `becomprised of a plurality of stampings as shown in Figure 13, eachstamping, when in use, being freely pivotal.

The clutch or actuating meanstS, above referred to,

may be designed-and constructed as desired, butpreferably .includesalpair 'of corresponding. rectangular plates -69 .as A.depicted inFigure 7. A spacer 70 is secured be- Vnents `of the clutch means. by therack'bar and as clearly illustrated the upper portion ends of'thezshorthangers 78.

tween the upper ends of the plates by rivets 71 and the"loweriextremities 'of the plates are secured "by a 'pin Y'72. wTheylower marginal `edge of fthe'spacer finds support "on fth`e=upper edge'of "thefrac'k bar. .'A removable pivot 73l is esecuredtothe-'platesfan'd supports-a'lever 74. Movement of the lever in onedirection is limitedby` the pin'72, as shown in-'Figure 7. A shaft 75bridges theplates'and supports a roller 76 therebetween. The peripheryofv'this roller is aligned with the peripheries of frollers 56-andr58=ari`d is engageable with the'lower edge iofthe'rackbar 21. n"The upperendof the lever is preferably -provided'with 'a roller bearing 7'7rotatably held in anarcuate recess of corresponding 'cross-sectionin thelever and by the plates A69. The periphery of the bearing `7'1"' isadapted to -intermittently 'engage 'the lower longitudinal ledge of thespaoerv't and thereby exert a clamping action tocarry the ramassemblyforwardly-,along -with the` clutch 4when 1the-treadle'6 lis depressed.Thisroller Ibearing 771reduces friction between-the lever and'ba'rA on-thereturnstroke of the clutch andalsofprovides -a good grippingactioninicombination with the other-related cooperating 'compo- The clutchmeansA is kcarried of the=lever74tis guided by the plates 69 auditslower lportionlis arranged for'guidanceibetween .the table Imembersi16-and-l7- The arrangement is preferably suchthat the standards-'19and-2tl also serve to limit or determine :the travel 'of the clutchmeans. f

The :unique llinkage assembly, clearly illustrated tin fFigures 2, l14and 15, operatively connecting vthe lever 74'and'thetreadle 6, will nowbe described. `Afpairiof louter lstrap fhangers 78 have ltheir I.upperends xedly attacheditoand exteriorly vofthe depending 'parallel portionsof thektable memberslti and 17 by means Yofrafbolt H79 which extends'through the hangers, the table memrberspand the spacer591above1referred`to. -A second pair :of'strap hangers 80 of ak greaterylengththan hangers 78 have their -upper ends '.xedly attached toandzexteriorly of the ldependingparallel portions Yof the Jtable membersbyabolt'SL 'A'spacer 82 corresponding totspacer-59 .is carried lbythebolt 81 to assist in maintaining the table =members 16 and 17parallel. The lower ends ofthe Hlong hangers overlap the exteriorsurfaces of the lower A replaceable king 'pin Srextends throughandconnects the -lower ends of the hangers-together. These hangersprovide'a stable `.sup- -port for a generally vtriangular framegenerally designated X. The lower corner of'frame X is pivoted'ontheking pin 83. The innerends 'of a pair of elongated :links-984 -arepivotally connected by avremovable pin- 85 to the -right lcorner ofthe'frame and the outer ends of 'these links are pivotallyconnecte'd tothe lowe'r lendof "the clutch lever .74 by azremovable pin l86. The.upper ends offa .pair of links A87 vare `pivotally connected to ythelleft corner of thev frame Xvbya removable pin 88 :and the lower -endsof these links are pivotally connected ytol a tting 89 on the -treadleby a bolt or pin 90'as shown in .Figure 2.

The frame yX may be designed and constructed as desired but ispreferably comprised of a plurality of members constructed from steelstrip stock of suicient strength for the purpose intended. Moreparticularly, itheupper side 'of the frame includes a pair .ofcorresponding'members 91, the left Vside a pair'of corresponding'members '92, and the rightside a'pai'r of corresponding members 93which engage one another. The frame X and links 84 are arranged `formovement and guidance between the hangers 781and 80. The pairs ofmembers 91.and 92 are preferably of the-same length to. promotestandardization of parts andeconornyin construction.

.The inner ends -of the links 84 straddle the upper ends --.of members93 and .therearends of :members 9.1 straddle members 93. The rforwardends ytaf-members -91straddle -the forward endsof members 92 andVthe..upper.fends of links S7 straddle members 91. The rear ends ofmembers 92 straddle the lower ends of members 93, the lower vends ofhangers 78 straddle the rear ends of members 92 and the lower ends ofhangers Sil straddle the lower ends of hangers 7S.

The treadle generally designated 6 includes an ciongated lever 94. Therear end of the lever is pivotally connected to rear leg 9 of the standby a bolt 95 as shown in Figure l. Its outer end is provided with anglepieces 96 welded thereto to form a pressure pedal adapted to be engagedby the ioot of the operator. r[his lever extends diagonally through themachine with the pressure pedal located at a convenient place foroperation at the front end and right side of the machine so that thetreadle can be operated while manipulating the hand Wheel 3. A diagonalbrace 97 assisting to locate the lever 94 has one end pivotallyconnected at 98 to the rear leg lil of the stand and its other end isxedly connected to the treadle at a point intermediate its ends. Arelatively strong helical spring 99 has its upper end hooked in thetable member 16 as shown in Figure 1 and its lower end hooked in thebrace 97 to cause the forward ends of the frame members 9i to bearagainst the washer 28 and normally maintain the clutch more or less inabutting relationship with the rear standards 19 as illustrated inFigures l, 2, 6 and 7 and the treadle in the position shown by the fulllines in Figure 2.

To operate the machine is a relatively simple matter. The procedure mayvary in some instances but is preferably accomplished by tirst swingingthe covers of the cushion box outwardly to a full open position,manipulating the hand wheel 3 to move the side units of the boxoutwardly on the guide rods 23 to increase the size of the box to itsmaximum width, manually retractil-1g the ram assembly, placing filler inthe box, closing and fastening the covers, turning the hand wheel 3 tocompress the filler and determine the width of the box for a cover of agiven dimension, and then operating the treadle. When the treadle isdepressed the clutch 5 will grip the rack bar 21 and force the ramforwardly to cause the pressure plate 6l) to pack the ller material intothe cover. When the treadle is rst depressed the nose 66 of the pawl 6lwill automatically ride out of the clearance recess 67 and when thetreadle is released the nose 66 will come to rest in one ot' the notches65 to prevent rearward movement of the ram assembly due to back pressureor resistance offered by the compressed filler material. Releasing thetreadle will cause the helical spring 99 to return the clutch back toits normal position as shown in Figures l, 2, 6 and 7. With this setupthe ram assembly can be readily advanced forwardly any distance desiredby operating the treadle and automatically held by the pawl 6l. When theram assembly has been moved lforwardly to its full limit of traveldetermined by the bolt 64 engaging the rear standards 19, the nose ofthe pawl 61 will fall in the arcuate recess 68 to render the pawlinoperative, whereupon the ram assembly can be manually returned to astarting position. When the ram assembly is again directed forwardly,the pawl will become automatically operable to hold the ram assembly inany forward position of travel. The

foregoing arrangement has proven very satisfactory in `supporting it sothat it will swing into any notch-no spring or other mechanism oradjustment is required to `forcibly urge the pawl into any of itspositions. i lAccordingly, it should be manifest that I have pro- 8-vided a machine possessed of many novel attributes fo accomplishing theobjectives above set forth.

Having thus described my invention, it will be obvious `that it issusceptible of various modifications, and that the claims appendedhereto determine the scope of the subject invention, notwithstanding theforegoing detailed description.

l claim:

1. A lling machine comprising a stand, a box carried by the stand, aplatform carried by the stand and located a level below that of the box,a pair of supporting means mounted on the platform, each of saidsupporting means comprising a pair of closely related members,antifriction means conned between the members of each supporting means,a ram carried by the anti-friction means and guided by said members, andclutch means carried by the ram for actuating the ram to direct materialinto a cushion cover.

2. A tilling machine comprising a stand, a box and a platform carried bythe stand, a pair of supports extending upwardly from the platform, eachot' said supports comprising a pair of closely related members, rollermeans confined between the members of the supports, a ram carried by theroller means and guided by said members, and means for actuating the ramto direct material placed in the box into a cushion cover adapted -to belocated at one extremity of the box.

3. A machine for lling a cushion cover comprising a stand, a box carriedby the stand, a platform carried by the stand, a pair of supports on theplatform, a ram slidably mounted on the supports, notches provided inthe ram, a fitting slidably mounted on the ram, a lever pivotallyconnected to the fitting, means connected to the lever for causing thelever to forcibly engage and drive o the ram in one direction, and apawl carried by one of the supports for engaging a notch to preventmovement of the ram in an opposite direction each time the ram is drivena. predetermined distance in said one direction, said one supportproviding a sto-p tor the fitting.

4. A machine for lling a cushion cover comprising a stand, an elongatedbox carried by the stand, a platform carried by the stand and extendingrearwardly thereof, supporting means mounted on the platform, a ramslidably mounted on the supporting means, a tting slidable on the ram, alever pivoted on the titting, foot controlled means for operating thelever to cause it to forcibly engage and drive the ram in a step-by/stepmovement in one direction into the box, means for locking the ram ateach step, and recess means formed on the ram for automaticallyrendering the locking means inoperative when the ram reaches apredetermined position in its travel in said direction.

5. A machine for filling a cushion cover comprising a stand, a boxcarried by the stand and extending forwardly thereof, a platform.carried by the stand and extending rearwardly thereof, supporting meansmounted on the platform, anti-friction means and bearings carried by thesupporting means, a ram supported between and by the anti-friction meansand bearings, a clutch carried by the ram, means for operating theclutch to drive the ram step by step into the box, means torautomatically locking the ram at each step, means on the ram forrendering the locking means inoperative when the ram reaches its limitof travel in the box, and means for returning the locking means to aposition to again lock the ram after the ram has been retracted to alimit of travel in the opposite direction.

6. Supporting means, a ram bar mounted on the supporting means forreciprocation, a fitting slidable on the bar, Vmeans connected to thetting for engaging the underside of the ram bar for driving the ram barstepby-step in one direction, a plurality of abutnients on the upperside of the ram bar, locking means automatically selectively engageablewith the abutments for holding the ram bar at each step, and notch meanson the ram bar for automatically rendering the locking means inoperativewhen the ram bar reaches its limit of travel so that the ram bar can beretracted to a starting position.

7. Supporting means, a ram bar mounted on the sup porting means forreciprocation, means for progressively driving the ram bar in onedirection, a plurality of abutments on the ram bar, locking meansautomatically selectively engageable with the abutments for holding theram bar in place each time the ram bar is` driven a predetermineddistance in said direction, means for automatically rendering thelocking means inoperative when the ram bar reaches its limit of travelso that the ram bar can be retracted to a starting position, and meansfor automatically rendering the locking means operative after the rambar is retracted to the starting position so that the ram bar will beheld in place as before.

8. Supporting means, a ram bar carried by the supporting means, a row ofnotches provided in the ram bar, a pawl carried by the supporting meansfor selectively engaging the notches, a clutch carried by the bar andincluding means for actuating the clutch to operate the bar, and saidbar having a recess adjacent each end of the row of notches, said pawland recesses being so constructed and arranged that when the bar ismoved in one direction by the actuating meansthe pawl will engage anotch to hold and prevent movement of the bar in an opposite directionand when the bar reaches a predetermined position of travel in said onedirection the pawl will enter one of the recesses to permit the bar tobe returned in the opposite direction to a starting position in whichposition the pawl will automatically fall into the other recess so thatthe pawl will function to hold the bar against movement in said oppositedirection when moved in said one direction.

9. A sub-assembly for use in filling a cushion cover withfillercomprising supporting means, a bar slidably supported on said supportingmeans, a plurality of abutments on said bar, locking means on thesupporting means engageable with the abutments for automatically holdingthe bar against movement in a direction opposite to that in which it isdriven, means on the bar whereby the locking means is released when thebar reaches a predetermined driving position so that the bar can beretracted to a starting position, and means on the bar for causing thelocking means to automatically return to a position where it may againbecome operative for holding as aforesaid when the bar is in saidstarting position.

10. A sub-assembly for use in a cushion filling machine comprising, apair of standards, a spacer secured between the lower ends of thestandards, a bearing secured between the upper ends of the standards, aroller mounted on the standards in spaced relation to the bearing, a rambar arranged between and carried by said bearing and roller,longitudinally spaced abutments provided on the ram bar, and a lockingmeans engageable with the abutments for automatically locking the rambar in place when moved in one direction.

11. A sub-assembly for use in a cushion filling machine comprising amounting, a pair of spaced upright supports connected to the mounting,anti-friction means on each support, a ram bar supported on saidanti-friction means, a locking means on one of the supports for lockingthe ram bar in place when moved in one direction, a itting slidablymounted on the ram bar, a lever pivoted on the fitting', and meansoperatively connected to the lever for causing the lever to forciblyengage and drive the ram bar on the anti-friction means.

12. A machine for vfilling the cover of a cushion comprising a stand, apair of rods on said stand, a box having a bottom wall fixed on saidstand and a pair of side units mounted on the rods for movement relativeto the bottom wall for 'varying the width of the box, each of said sideunits including a portion overlapping said bottom wall and cooperatingtherewith to form the bottom of the box, a. platform mounted on thestand, a pair of upright supports secured to the platform, a rack barcarried by the supports, a pressure plate attached to one end of thebar, means for driving the rack bar, and a gravity operated pawlengageable with therack bar for locking the bar in place when desired.

13. A machine for filling the cover of a cushion comprising an elongatedmounting, a hanger carried by the mounting, a pair of longitudinallyspaced supporting means extendingzupwardly from the mounting, a ramassembly carried by the supporting means, means for aetuatingthe ramassembly, and means for operating the actuating means, said operatingmeans including a generally triangular frame having one corner pivotallymounted on the hanger, a pair of links connecting the actuating meanswith a second corner of the frame,a treadle, and means connecting thetreadle with a third corner of the frame. i

14. A mounting, a pair of supports on the mounting, a ram slidablymounted on the supports, abutments provided on the ram, atittingslidably mounted on the ram, a lever pivoted on the fitting, means foroperating the lever to cause it to engage and drive the ram forwardlystep by step, a pawl carried by one of the supports for engaging anabutment to prevent rearward movement of the ram as it is advancedforwardly, and one of said supports serving as a stop for the itting.

15. A sub-assembly for use with a cushion iilling machine comprising apair of spaced upright supports for connection with a mounting,anti-friction means on each support, a ram bar supported on saidanti-friction means, said ram bar being provided with a plurality ofspaced abutments and a recess, a locking means on one of the supportsfor selectivelyengaging the abutments for locking the ram bar in placeas it is driven in one direction, means for drivingthe ram bar, and saidrecess being deeper than the notches and serving to render the lockingmeans inoperative whenl the locking means is disposed therein.

ReferencesvCited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

